Jana Reh

Bachelor student

Influence of different oxidation degrees on the degradation behavior and mechanical properties of hyaluronic acid based hydrogels

 

Supervisors: Sonja Kuth, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Soft tissue engineering requires the development of biomaterials which mimic the complex extracellular matrix. Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks consisting of crosslinked hydrophilic polymers, that have a high capacity to absorb aqueous solvents and biological fluids within their structure [1]. For their later application they require specific mechanical and physical properties. The degradation rate, for example, influences the performance of the scaffold. It can be inter alia influenced by varying the degree of oxidation, changing the crosslinking density or adding different components [2]. In order to achieve appropriate properties of the hydrogels, the aim of this project is to evaluate the influence of the degree of oxidation and crosslinking on oxidized hyaluronic acid and gelatin hydrogels.

[1] Weis, Matthias; Shan, Junwen; Kuhlmann, Matthias; Jungst, Tomasz; Tessmar, Jörg; Groll, Jürgen (2018): Evaluation of Hydrogels Based on Oxidized Hyaluronic Acid for Bioprinting. In: Gels (Basel, Switzerland) 4 (4). DOI: 10.3390/gels4040082.

[2] Thiele, Julian; Ma, Yujie; Bruekers, Stéphanie M. C.; Ma, Shaohua; Huck, Wilhelm T. S. (2014): 25th anniversary article: Designer hydrogels for cell cultures: a materials selection guide. In: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 26 (1), S. 125–147. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201302958.